Fiona Joy is an award-winning, world-renowned pianist and composer from Australia who has additionally worked with other notable musicians. Among them includes Windham Hill Records founder, Will Ackerman, who produced several of her previous albums. Performed on an 1885 Steinway grand piano, her latest album Into the Mist was recorded and mixed in Direct Digital 256 (Quad DSD) in high resolution audio using the Extended Sound Environment (E.S.E.) proprietary. Comprised of ten elegantly prepossessing solo piano instrumentals that shift among phases of light and shadow, each composition is seemingly a dual expression of both human emotion and natural wonder.

“A Walk in the Park” introduces the album on a gently positive note, which seems to capture the song’s title both figuratively and literally. As with this piece and each one that follows, Fiona impressively demonstrates a keen ability for vividly illustrating the given names of her compositions with her piano-playing, simultaneously guiding the listener though a range of both inner emotions and outer landscapes. Following next is “Moon Over the Lotus Pond”, ebbing and flowing softly with carefully spaced pauses between each note, as the piece perfectly captures a nocturnal stillness and quietude. My favorite part of the album is the subsequent Opus trilogy that consists of three individual pieces, which although distinct from one another, all possess a billowing undercurrent like that of a winding river carving its way through a vast terrain. The first of these, “Opus: Into the Mist (Part 1)”, is both a somewhat darker and supremely beautiful piece that cascades abundantly up-and-down the keys with alternating accents on both lower and higher notes in the registers. Initially delicate and wistful-seeming, “Opus: Mist Rising (Part 2)” soon unfurls into an intently focused and penetrating number. Building gradually with a self-contained intensity like a stirring beneath the surface calm, Fiona’s intricate finger-work delivers boldly accented strokes against the edges of the composition’s interior. “Opus: Mist Before Dawn (Part 3)” effectively hints at an impending sunrise, while conveying a soothing sense of release along with the freedom of going with the flow. “Through Cloud” feels emotionally bittersweet; its mood seemingly paralleled by the image of gentle sunrays peering through a light rain shower. “Feeling Sunshine” exudes a golden warmth and air of carefreeness, flowing continuously from all sides like a fountain as the surrounding pool of water ripples on outwards. The slower-paced “Grey Sky Morning” ensues with a quieter mood of reflecting upon fond memories; its arrangement thinly spread-out among the registers with bolder emphases placed on the higher notes. “Galloping” is another favorite with a lovely companion music video. As with her song, “Invisible Train” (from her previous Signature-Solo album), in which Fiona effectively captured the forward motion of a train, she likewise accomplishes a similar effect here with the rhythmic mimicking of galloping horses. The minor-key “The Void” perfectly concludes the album with a sense of emotional intrigue, as if perhaps leaving one with a lingering impression of dreams, memories and secrets.

Easily Fiona Joy’s most accomplished album to date, Into the Mist is a stunning work of pristine elegance and sophisticated beauty expressed with sincerity and depth of the heart. While inherently of a romantic nature, these compositions effectively avoid any trappings of being overly sentimental, instead retaining a captivating essence of mystery throughout. Destined to become one of this year’s best solo instrumental recordings, Into the Mist is simply a must-have for those seeking piano music that’s both subtle and profound!